


The Papers

by kirabook



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Byers bros are the best bros, Gen, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-22
Updated: 2019-08-22
Packaged: 2020-10-01 17:04:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20345173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kirabook/pseuds/kirabook
Summary: “There’s… something I’ve been meaning to tell you. Something I found a few days ago.”Filler scenes for much needed Byers family content.





	1. The Papers

By the time he made it home, all the anger drained from his body followed with the numb emptiness. Joyce and Will weren’t home, leaving him to stew alone. 

How was he going to break the news to his mom they fired him? No severance pay since he only worked for two months at most. No pay for time worked to the point of his firing. Jonathan took the responsibility of sharing half the mortgage and the electricity bill every month. He recalled how long it took to persuade Joyce to let him work when he was fifteen years old. First, he claimed he was working for extra cash for himself. Then he started buying the groceries and household necessities like cleaning supplies and tissue. Next he began slipping fives and tens in his mother’s wallet. At some point, he got caught in the act, came clean, and insisted contributing around the house with his newfound ‘wealth’. 

When she approved, he worked as much as the law permitted while working as a minor. It didn’t matter what job he took or how crappy his boss behaved; he worked with pride and happily took his paychecks. Washing windows at the grocery store. Cleaning toilets at the gas station. Washing dishes at a local restaurant. Moving boxes a a warehouse. Vacuuming the popcorn from floors and seats at the theater. Working was better than seeing his mother call Lonnie to plead for help. It’d been years since she asked him for anything. 

They didn’t need Lonnie because he had a job. He’d taken the place of his father, and nothing made him happier. 

How is he supposed to find a new job in this economy in this town? Getting a job as one of the Byers was difficult enough. Now, Tom would tell the whole town about him and Nancy and he’d official be on a blacklist. Jonathan dropped his little box of work-related crap on his desk and started loosening his tie. 

‘At least I won’t have to wear this anymore,’ he reflected. He became great at tying his tie, but they didn’t suit him no matter what color or pattern. He unbuttoned his shirt, discarded his pants, and released a deep sigh. Removing off his work clothes was more soothing than normal. 

Now what? Wait for Joyce to get home to break the news? Call her at work? No, he wanted to push back the inevitable as long as possible. Instead, he’d prepare dinner. Eating at the dinner table together while he broke the news sounded like a good way to go, as good as “I lost my job” can be.

Jonathan grabbed a t-shirt and dragged it over his head as he shuffled to the kitchen. The fridge was full of the usual suspects. Meat. Cheese. Lettuce. Milk. Eggs. Half used condiments. 

“Spaghetti,” he mumbled as he took the ground beef and Ragu. Easy to make, filling, and would last a few days for leftovers. He turned to place them on the counter, but hesitated as he spotted papers in the way. It wasn’t uncommon for Joyce to leave mail or newspapers there. Jonathan slid the papers a few inches to the left as he placed the sauce and meat in the freed up space. 

He skimmed at the papers while he opened the cabinet above, reaching for a box of noodles. He expected them to be bills or junk mail.

_ $97, 694  _

_ Effingham, IL _

_ Springfield _

_ Champaign-Urbana, IL _

_ $80, 233 _

Jonathan frowned, forgetting the spaghetti on the shelf and grabbing a piece of paper instead.

_ 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom home. Located three miles from Downtown Effingham. Quiet small community perfect for raising a family or retiring. Two hours from St. Louis and three from Chicago.  _

Jonathan shuffled the papers. 

_ 3 bedroom 2 bathroom home. Welcome to the home of Abraham Lincoln, Springfield, Illinois. Or bustling city is- _

_ 3 bedroom 1 bathroom home located 2 minutes from the University of Illinois camp- _

“What are these?” He spoke aloud, almost expecting an answer despite no one being home. 

This must be a mistake. Advertisements from the mail, the ones they seldom read and threw away, right? No, why would they get advertisements for real estate from out of state? Jonathan shuffled through the stack, a thick stack he realized. Pages upon pages of houses and apartments. He even noticed his mother’s handwriting on some of them, circling the things she liked, marking things she didn’t like.

He noticed she’d hired people to fix up various problems around the house. He thought she wanted to make their house look a little nicer. That’s what she told them, he and Will didn’t think much more of it. It wouldn’t be the first time contractors came to fix their damaged home. 

And her job? Jonathan often worried about her job security with the mall destroying Downtown. Whenever he brought it up, she’d smile at him, hold his hands, and insist he not worry about anything. That everything would be ok. They all three of them would be fine. How could she know that? If she lost her job, it’d be all over for them. Why was she so carefree, it wasn’t like her NOT to worry. 

It made sense now. 

She wanted to move, taking all three of them out of Hawkins. Why fix the house? To sell it. Why not worry about Downtown or her job? She already planned to quit, move, and get a new job somewhere else, out of Hawkins.

Why hadn’t she said anything? What did she have planned? Why didn’t she tell them? Did Will know? How would they afford a move out of state??Jonathan scrambled to the phone and dialed his mother’s work number. A pang radiated through his chest, remembering he just lost his job. He hung up the phone after the first ring. He didn’t want to know, not right now. It’d be too much. 

What would happen if they moved? He didn’t care about Hawkins… but he cared about Will and his friends. About El and even Hopper. And Nancy…

_ “Here comes the Oliver Twist routine!” _

… He wasn’t sure how to feel right now.


	2. The Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “We’re… moving… To what street?”  
“Out of town. Out of state.”

“Hey Will?”

Will turned toward his brother leaned up against the cabin wall. Everyone preoccupied themselves with calming El after a personal encounter with the Mind Flayer. He didn’t blame her for freaking out, he’d been in a similar position not even a year ago. 

_ ‘At least she isn’t tainted…,’ _ a voice whispered in the back of his mind. The voice didn’t finish the thought, but he knew what words filled in the blanks. 

“Will?” Jonathan called again, looking a little more anxious than he had before. He wasn’t leaning against the wall anymore, but standing next to him by the couch. Since when had he moved? 

“You all right?” Jonathan whispered low enough so only he would hear. Will nodded, but Jonathan didn’t look convinced. “Can I talk to you… outside for a moment?”

“Outside?”

“Just on the porch.” 

Will glanced at the commotion happening on the couch. Mike was in front of El, trying and failing to get her to perform synchronized breathing to calm her down. Max was washing her face from the blood pouring out of her nose, occasionally shooting Mike annoyed glances. Nancy and Lucas were observing, but stayed out of the way. 

Nancy’s eyes caught up for a second and then she looked behind him at Jonathan. They had some kind of nonverbal exchange and then Nancy nodded and turned her attention back to El. 

“Come on.” Jonathan tapped his shoulder and Will moved off the arm of the couch and followed Jonathan outside. The outside was cooler than inside. For once, Will welcomed the chilling breeze. All the commotion inside the small cabin created a lot of heat. Will pondered if the old cabin even had air conditioning. Being here in the middle of the woods hiding out in a shack reminded him of Castle Byers….

“What you thinking?” Jonathan asked him as he sat on the porch stairs. Will shrugged and sat beside him.

“My mind is… kind of everywhere right now.”

“Everyone is a little out of it right now.”

The brothers sat in comfortable silence. Wind blew gently through the surrounding trees, creating a relaxing ambiance. A yellow glow from the porch light illuminated the porch and the front yard. Soft mummers reached them from inside, but not enough to decipher the conversation. 

“… Is… everything ok with you and Nancy now? Did you fight or something?” When Will heard Nancy went to the hospital to investigate alone, it surprised him. Ever since they became a couple, Nancy and Jonathan were inseparable. When he wasn’t at work or sleeping, he was with Nancy. Sometimes, even sleeping was reserved for Nancy. 

Will would never admit it aloud… but it made him a little jealous, like Jonathan was slowly slipping away. Soon enough, he’d get married to Nancy and move away with her. Away from them. Leave them in the dust. It was silly to feel of such things; he carried constant guilt. He’d never wish ill upon their relationship. He worried they broke up… Nancy made him so happy. Happier than he’d seen Jonathan in a long time. 

“We did…” A small smile spread across his lips. “It’s all right now. For the most part.”

“So… you’re still together. Right?”

“Yeah… why do you ask?”

“That’s good… just wondering,” he answered. Another pang of jealousy, but the wave of relief was much greater. “You guys almost never fight so it was kind of weird. ”

Again, they fell to silence. Will watched Jonathan from the corner of his eye. Jonathan look so… pensive. Anxious. Will thought Jonathan came to reassure or comfort him, something he didn’t want or need. Maybe Jonathan was the one who needed reassurance and comfort? Will tried to think of what to say. Reassure Jonathan his relationship with Nancy would recover? But they seemed ok now, Jonathan even smiled about it. This Mind Flayer situation would be over and things would go back to normal? Will would love to pat Jonathan shoulder and tell him that, it sounded like a really bad joke. 

“Will?” Jonathan calling his name startled him, but he kept his composure.

“Yeah?”

“There’s… something I’ve been meaning to tell you. Something I found a few days ago.” Jonathan’s foot tapped. It always did that when he was nervous.

“Is it… serious?”

“I think we’re moving,” Jonathan spit out. 

“... You mean, we’re gonna move from the cabin to somewhere else?”

“We’re moving out of our house to somewhere else.” The calm chill atmosphere became tense. Jonathan studied him. Will took his time processing the information, but the declaration came out of nowhere.

“What??”

“I found real estate papers and documents on the counter at home,” Jonathan explained, keeping eye contact. Will blinked and turned his attention to the dark forest. It was easier to think without watching Jonathan watch him. Will never considered moving, he lived in that house his whole life. Sure, 

“We’re… moving… To what street?”

“Out of town. Out of state.” 

“Out of…” Will didn’t complete the sentence. He couldn’t. 

“The houses on the papers… they were for Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky and Ohio.”

“Are you sure? Maybe they were junk mail or something.” Will’s voice was weaker than he intended, but he couldn’t help it. They can’t move. They can’t. Where else would they go? There’s nothing in those places for them. His clenched his fists, willing his sweaty palms to go away.

“She wrote notes on them… Circled some stuff. There were business cards for real estate agents and contractors.” Will stopped listening after a while. He caught bits and pieces of Jonathan’s evidence. Maintenance workers coming to their house a lot. Her mysterious weekend trips. How little Joyce cared about the mall and the decline of Downtown.

“Hey.” Jonathan gripped his shoulder, pulling Will out of his thoughts. “We’ll talk to her and find out the trut-”

“Do you want to move?” 

“What?” 

“Do you want to move out of Hawkins?” Will repeated. Jonathan hesitated, which Will didn't expect. He expected Jonathan to say no in the firm stubborn way he usually did. 

“Not really… no,” Jonathan ran his hand through his hair. He had time to think about it longer and harder than Will. “Where are we going to go?” He shrugged his shoulders. “Everyone is here. Your friends… Nancy. On the other hand, a fresh start doesn’t sound so bad,“ he mused. Will absently wondered what kind of fresh start Jonathan wanted. “I get why she’d want to move, but why wouldn’t she tell us? Or talk to us? Is it really that bad? Was she going to drop the news on us one day after it’s all said and done? That’s what went through my mind…”

This was their home. Their friends are here. The only people who shared their experiences are here, in Hawkins. But… so were the awful memories and people who gave him funny looks when he walked by. Who would want to stay in this place after everything happened? Right now they were sitting in the middle of the woods, hiding from the Mind Flayer again. Last year the raced to close the gate. The year before… he wanted to forget. What would happen next year and the year after that? Will understood too.

Will parted his lips to speak, but his throat tightened and all that came out was a dry gasp. Water filled his ears drowning out the sounds of the forest. His vision dulled. The entire world dropped around him. he was falling. He seized as a cold chill crawled up his back, on his arms, and on his neck. 

Over the last few days, he’d gotten used to the uncomfortable presence of the Mind Flayer. He’d gotten used to the goosebumps on his neck and the memories of last year bubbling to the surface, freezing him with fear. This was the same, but so much worse. Like last year, last year when the Mind Flayer came for him, when the Mind Flayer caught him. That meant-

“Will!” He blinked, suddenly aware of Jonathan in front of him holding him by his shoulders. “What’s wrong??” He demanded. Even in the darkness Will could see and hear his panic. 

“It’s him.” 

“Who??”

“It’s him,” Will whispered. His whole body ached, the chills wouldn’t stop. The deafening water was still in his ears muffling Jonathan’s voice. Any moment, he’d drop on the roller coaster straight into the empty cold void. 

“The Mind Flayer?” The sound of a door opened and light from inside the cabin poured over them, but Will ignored it and whoever stepped out on the porch to join them.

“He knows we’re here. He’s coming.”

His presence was overwhelming, it radiated through his entire body. Whatever _ he _created was beyond Will's imagination. 

“We need to leave.” He was coming for all of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a slight rewrite of the cabin scene at the beginning of episode 7. Instead of Will stating 300 years too late that the Mind Flayer knew they were there (seriously writers, what the heck), Will could sense it coming from much much further away. I'm guessing in this timeline, they had time to escape or just as they were escaping, they got caught up by the monster anyway.

**Author's Note:**

> This is a two parter. Some for Jonathan, some for Will. Jonathan's scene takes place after dropping Nancy off at home where she's met with Karen, but when Jonathan gets home, there's no one. Except some mysterious real estate documents.


End file.
